Thursday, November 8, 2007

Coffee in Italy

You can easily get used of drinking coffee in Italy.
In Rome, Umbrië and Siena for holiday i've been consuming a whole lot of espresso's, with pleasure.

No, no championship shots, but decent strong full bodied espresso with sometimes a nutty, caramel or chocolate touch.
And the robusta? Only one time it struck me hard, but it's clear Romans get away from it bit by bit.

The all famous places like Tazza D'oro and Sant' Eustachio nowadays do look like tourist traps. Quality is gliding down, but it's still nice to walk through the large row of tourists at Taza D'oro, smell the fresh beans and glance at the very cheezy looking T.D. souvenirs.
Sometimes the espresso was cold (yes!) and most of the time the machines were dirty and milk texturing techniques got stuck somewhere in the last century, but still i don't see another country where you can go drinking espresso without fear for bad quality or high prices.

In Rome i liked most the Luigi Santoro bar, but a must go is also Castroni, nearby the entrance of the Vatican museum. Fresh beans, incredible interior and this staff, with the funny old fashioned work suits, who still do their job with pride.

Soon more about my Espressamente visit in Gubbio and a local micro roaster in Siena.

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